


Honeymoon Go

by Lemon (lemon_sprinkles)



Series: Soldier's Heart [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Honeymoon, Husbands, M/M, Pokemon GO Shenanigans, Soldier's Heart Universe, adventures in Australia, date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 22:18:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10545268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemon_sprinkles/pseuds/Lemon
Summary: Kaidan and Shepard enjoy their honeymoon in Australia with one another, but when Shepard makes a bet involving Pokemon and unique wildlife, Kaidan can't help but give it his all. Even if Shepard is awfully distracting.Featuring artwork from the incredible Bioticjelly!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bioticjelly](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Bioticjelly).



> Written for Keiend86 and Bioticjelly. They had asked for a Soldier's Heart universe fic involving a honeymoon, Pokemon Go, and a certain lovely piece of artwork. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

 Kaidan had been told by a few well-meaning friends that planning any activities to do during a honeymoon was a fool’s errand.

 But when he and Shepard had sat down and picked Australia as their must-see destination, Kaidan took immediately to the extra-net, creating a list of things to see and places to visit. Landmarks, wilderness parks, snorkeling, rafting, surf-lessons, shopping, museums—anything and everything was added and culled, then re-added, before Kaidan had himself a nice little list of things they had to do while overseas.

 Shepard had smiled slightly when Kaidan showed him the list—a small upturn of his lips that withheld very little. But his eyes told Kaidan everything he needed to know.

_‘Really, K?’_

 Despite the nay-sayers and the bemusement of Shepard, Kaidan continued on with his list, packing it up with everything else in his suitcase, determined to prove every dirty mind out there wrong. Honeymoons were about spending time—all sorts of time—with your brand spanking new husband, and that included an expedition to Uluru.

 But then they arrived at their rental property for the next ten days. Tucked away on the side of a beach just outside of Sydney, the property was surrounded by lush greenery and soft sand. Far away from any nosey neighbors the house was the epitome of private, the only sound that of the trilling of local fauna and the gentle but insistent crash of the ocean waves. Inside was spacious but still intimate, and as they wandered through the house, admiring the décor and indulging in the truffles and Champaign that the property owners had left out for them, they came across the bedroom.

 It was small but cozy, the king-size bed taking up most of the room with a closet claiming the other side. The bed itself was covered in soft white sheets that smelled of lilac and sea air, and when Kaidan pushed down on the mattress he felt only pillow softness. But the real center-piece was the large bay windows that ran the expanse of one wall and looked out to the ocean, curtains flapping gently in the breeze as the water curled and tumbled along the beach.

 Kaidan managed to put his bag down before he was shoved down on to the pillow soft lilac and ocean scented bed.

 They remained tangled up together in their bedroom for the entire day.

 And the next day.

 And the next day.

 Four days trickled by with neither making any move to leave the comforts of their rental property. They were entirely wrapped up in each other, laughter and smiles pressed against skin, soft moans and deep groans crashing along with the waves, hands grabbing and bodies joining. They spent their first four days completely and utterly obsessed with one another, desperate for any and all contact—desperate for each other.

 During their breaks they’d lie on the bed and tangle their hands together, holding them aloft, getting the moonlight that poured into their room to reflect off their wedding bands. But then laughter and lazy conversation would give way to heavy pants and nipping teeth, and they’d resume their prior activities with relish and ease.

 They ate, of course, and ventured out to the beach to sit together, Kaidan digging his toes into the sand while Shepard did much the same, his prosthetic whirling away as his toes wiggled into the cool grains. But eventually they’d go back to the bedroom, content with just existing together in a space no one else could share in.

 But then the fourth day came, and with their appetites sated for at least the next few hours, Kaidan grabbed his fabled list, intent on proving his friends wrong by accomplishing at least _one_ thing.

XX

 “—they have paths that are easy to walk, so it shouldn’t be a strain on your prosthetic. But if it’s too easy we can always pick the more difficult trail. Does that sound good you, John?”

 No response.

 “John?”

 Kaidan turned his attention away from the large map at the entrance of the nature park to see Shepard standing next to a bench, his sunglasses reflecting the light from his omni-tool as he flicked his finger up along the screen, brows furrowed deep in concentration.

 “What are you doing?” he asked.

 “Catching a Pokémon,” Shepard replied.

 “Oh… right. Wait, what?”

 Sliding up next to Shepard, Kaidan peered down at the screen, lowering his sunglasses as he did so. On it was some bizarre little cartoon creature, bouncing around in front of Shepard as he flicked a ball at it. The creature kept breaking free of the ball—much to Shepard’s annoyance, if the little growl in the back of his throat was any indication.

 “Looks like a baby Krogan,” Kaidan mumbled.

 Finally the creature stayed firmly within the ball, and Shepard went to naming it right away.

  _‘Wrex.’_

 “So uh… what is that?” Kaidan asked.

 “Some omni-game I picked up a couple of weeks ago. My therapist suggested I find something to occupy my mind as the stress of the wedding was getting to me, so I got this.”

 “And what is _this_?”

 “It’s called Pokémon Go. It’s some game that was developed a hell of a long time ago, but they’ve been updated ever since. There’s something like two-thousand different types to catch and collect.”

 “Wow.”

 “Yeah, it’s pretty neat. Wanna try?”

 Kaidan shook his head and pushed his sunglasses back up on his nose. “I’m fine, but thanks.”

 Shepard just nodded and went back to his game.

 Kaidan waited patiently.

 Shepard continued to play.

 The birds were singing and the sun was shining brightly down on them as they stood under the large, expansive branches of a tree Kaidan had never seen in his life, and yet Shepard didn’t seem to notice nor care about any of that.

 He was busy trying to catch baby… whatever they were.

 “Are you just going to play that all day?” Kaidan finally asked after Shepard’s omni-tool binged and blinked.

 Shepard finally looked up from his game, brow raised high in surprise.

 “It’s portable,” he explained, as if that would make it all better.

 “Yeah, and?”

 “And… and there are lots of Pokémon to catch?” he continued. “A lot that you can’t get in North America—see, they region lock some of them. I heard you can even get special ones if you visit Terra Nova and Eden Prime.”

 It had been a mistake on Kentworth’s part to suggest a portable game to ‘distract’ him, and Kaidan surmised Kentworth probably knew that even as she said it. Shepard could get obsessed with things—especially when it came to collecting certain items. During their time in the Alliance together, Kaidan had seen his fair share of this obsession. They’d enter a warehouse, clear out the Geth or mercenaries or whatever else they found, and as soon as the dust had settled Shepard started scrounging around for unique parts or things he could pass off to the Alliance labs.

 He even had a tendency to pick up a couple of credits here and there.

 Pokémon Go was like just like that, only instead of Geth parts it was tiny dinosaurs and three-headed snakes.

 “But there is a whole wildlands park to explore,” Kaidan explained.

 Shepard stayed where he was, staring back at Kaidan. Finally he turned his omni-tool off, nodding in agreement.

 “You’re right. Didn’t come all this way to play a game,” Shepard said, taking Kaidan’s hand in his own.

 Kaidan beamed and accepted the slow and easy kiss Shepard had to offer as an apology.

 But the game didn’t stay put away for long. As they ventured into the park they slowly drifted apart, Kaidan turning his attention to the canopies up above while Shepard poked around looking for insects and spiders and certain death.

 It was as they were taking a break next to a tree, sharing a bottle of water, that Kaidan heard the ping of someone catching Pokémon. Sure enough, as he turned around he saw Shepard off in the distance next to a gigantic bolder, grinning from ear to ear as he flicked away on the screen of his omni-tool.

 Jogging back with an air of triumph about him, Shepard flashed the screen in front of Kaidan.

 “Caught a Hippopota,” he said, like Kaidan would have any idea what he meant.

 “John, are you seriously going to just catch those things all day? What about admiring the environment we’re in? What about looking at… at birds and stuff. Like that thing over there!”

 He pointed to a small bird sitting in a tree, its large beak giving him a distinct grumpy frown. It squawked at them and then flew away.

 Shepard shrugged. “It’s just a bird, K.”

 “Yeah, but it’s a… it’s a real _live_ animal. Unlike your Pokémon which, may I remind you, you can catch when we’re back home.”

 Shepard’s eyes narrowed; Kaidan’s did as well. It had come down to a battle of stubborn wills. Kaidan suspected they could die in the Australian heat, neither yielding. It’d be worth it to prove a point.

 Finally, Shepard spoke.

 “You’re just jealous my Pokémon are cooler than the animals here.”

 Kaidan’s lips pressed into a tight, thin line. “Take that back. Australia is the land of—of amazing creatures and the perfect example of Earth’s uniqueness. There is _unique_ fauna here, John.”

 “I bet you I can find more Pokémon than you can find animals in this nature park.”

 Kaidan’s eyes narrowed further, and he stepped forward, hands on his hips as he stopped just short of their noses brushing.

 “Is that a challenge, Shepard?”

 Shepard caught Kaidan’s gaze and held it. “You’re damn right it is, Alenko.”

 “Terms?”

 “Animals only—no insects of any kind, unless they’re the size of a medium range rodent. I can’t count duplicate Pokémon. You have to take a picture of yours, and I’ll start numbering mine on my device.”

 “And the winner?”

 “Gets to pick where we go for dinner tonight. I choose sushi.”

 “Italian.”

 Kaidan stuck his hand out and Shepard grasped it.

 “It’s on, Shepard… prepare to lose to a master scout.”

 “You’ve never scouted in your goddamn life.”

 Kaidan shut him up with a kiss.

XX

  For a while the race was tight. Kaidan kept his eyes peeled for any kind of motion, glimpsing a variety of smaller animals and birds through the lush fauna. Shepard made little whooping noises any time he caught something, and Kaidan used it as a means to gauge how far ahead he was.

 There was no way he was going to lose—no way in hell.

 But then he started to lag behind, and it was all Shepard’s fault. At some point when they had both stopped to inspect an Emu a distance away (something they preferred to _keep_ at a distance), Kaidan caught sight of Shepard’s muscles _glistening_ with sweat. He was wearing a loose tank top that did little to cover much at all, the arm holes and collar hanging while the white fabric clung where sweat pooled. The casual ripple and roll of Shepard’s muscles were doing a very good job of distracting Kaidan from the Emu and all the other critters jumping, crawling, and slithering around, and even as Shepard returned to his game Kaidan found it hard to look away.

 He trailed behind Shepard just watching him.

 At first he paid close attention to Shepard’s ass, but then trailed up to the low point on his back where the thin material of his shirt clung to that specific spot—the spot where sweat pooled as he arched and thrust back on to Kaidan’s…

 Then his attention flicked up to Shepard’s shoulders and the way the muscles flexed with every little movement, white scar tissue criss-crossing along darkened, freckled skin. He watched from behind for some time, losing sight of the “unique fauna” Australia had to offer, instead preferring to focus on the unique fauna that was his husband.

 But he wasn’t alone in the distraction. Eventually the bright orange of the omni-tool disappeared, and Shepard began exploring the pathways with a childlike fascination. He’d stop and pick up odd shaped leaves, and ask Kaidan if he figured this was local or alien, before bouncing off to climb large boulders to ‘get a better view’. His prosthetic worked in tandem with his real one, and the fear and pain associated with such simple motions were no longer present. Shepard was free to do what he wanted without any trials and tribulations, and he jogged around the park looking for interesting things to show Kaidan with a grin a mile wide.

 He was kind of like a puppy.

 Kaidan’s admiration turned from purely carnal to just plain admiration, and the knowledge that Shepard was his husband—that they were _married_ —wormed its way so far deep in his gut that he felt he might be a little bit sick.

 Or maybe he’d just forgotten to drink enough water.

 As evening approached they left the park and sat on the bench at the entrance, waiting for the bus to pick them up. Chewing on protein bars, they both counted through their photos and Pokémon.

 Shepard had won by a large margin.

 “Guess it’s sushi for dinner,” Kaidan said. He wasn’t even angry.

 “Actually, I think it’s Italian,” Shepard replied.

 Kaidan quirked a brow. “You won, John. I thought you wanted sushi.”

 Shepard shrugged and leaned in for a slow, protein bar flavored kiss. When they parted, Kaidan couldn’t help but nuzzle in a little closer.

 “Nah. I saw the way you looked at me all day; I took advantage. It wasn’t a fair win.”

XX

 They sat across from one another at a little Italian restaurant in the middle of the city. The walls were a rich red colour and the lights warm and yellow, the seating intimate and the conversations low and unhurried—a gentle rumble easily ignored in favour of the person before you. Couples from all species mingled with one another, and the teasing laugh of an Asari floated by now and again, making Shepard and Kaidan smile every time it did.

 But for the most part their attention was focused on one another. Bumping knees under the table, they took breaks between eating to hold each other’s hands and share a quick kiss. The food was good and the wine flowed freely, and by the time they were both satisfied the restaurant had calmed even further, honeymooning couples and clandestine lovers the only ones left.

 Shepard practically glowed in the environment. He wore a pressed white shirt and a black tie, and had taken care in every piece of his attire. He’d even polished his brand-new ring. His new medication allowed him to drink a few glasses of wine, and he’d relaxed enough that his sparkling blue eyes didn’t scan the exits and entrances every thirty seconds. They stayed firmly planted on Kaidan the entire evening—penetrating and deep.

 He laughed and smiled and complimented Kaidan on both his choice of Italian and his victory (although Kaidan was positive even if he hadn’t been distracted he’d still have lost), and spend half the meal playing with Kaidan’s hand, the two of them pushing away all prior discomfort with public displays of affection in order to enjoy the moment.

And Shepard’s omni-tool didn’t come out once.

 After drinking their espressos and finishing their shared dessert, Shepard took one last opportunity to surprise Kaidan by cupping his face with his battle-scarred hands, and pulled him in for a slow, coffee and mint laced kiss. Kaidan returned the embrace with equal pressure, eyes closing and lips curling into a lazy grin.

 “Sorry, K. It’s just, it’s not every day I get to kiss my husband on our honeymoon in such a romantic setting,” Shepard said as they pulled apart. He was smiling sheepishly.

 Kaidan just went in for another kiss with his Pokémon collecting husband.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :) Lets be real, in about a hundred years they'll probably be closer to 5,000 Pokemon out there.


End file.
